Writing

I'm going to try something a little different today. A lot of the time I use my blog to vent and rant about things going on in my life. So today I'm going to try an informative post on something I feel very passionate about. I feel like a lot of you know what that topic is, and of course it's writing. I want to talk a little about my experience and how I came to love writing so much. So again, this post is primarily about me but hey, here's to hoping any upcoming writers can learn a thing or two. If not, I just hope you enjoy the read.

Why Do I Write?

I first started writing in second grade. Of course I always liked reading and listening to stories, but this is the first time I can remember actually writing something. It was a story about trolls. We'd just read a book and were told to make our own versions. I remember a lot of my classmates were having trouble with the task, but not me. As soon as I began writing, the words just flew onto the paper.

I've told this story before so some of you may remember it. My 'best friend' was sitting next to me and decided to copy my writing. I'd never known someone to cheat so I didn't know to look out for it. Once we all handed in our stories the teacher called my friend and I up to his desk. He accused us of cheating and said that our stories wouldn't be graded because of it. I remember feeling gutted and betrayed. I'd put a lot of effort into that story only to have it ripped away.

Anyway, from that point on I decided to keep writing and reading. I'd spend a lot of my time in the school and public library renting out books. As I got older I wanted to buy and keep the books. I love displaying them on my bookshelf and having it full or overflowing with books makes me proud. I think literature is so important and can really teach some valuable lessons. I know it definitely taught me some.

Coming back to the question at hand. When I was younger I discovered writing made me feel powerful and let me escape. I could make worlds and destroy them, depending on my mood. I wouldn't be hurting anyone by writing and I just got this feeling when I first started, It felt right. It's like that saying 'You know when you know' and I knew straight away.

Over the years I've wrote so many stories. Some better than others, but all of them made me feel something. I've come up with novel idea after novel idea. I've done articles, blogging, a little bit of poetry (Although definitely not my cup of tea.) You don't know what you like until you've tried it.

I write because it's an escape. It reminds me of that little girl sitting at her desk writing about trolls, so innocent and ready to live. Writing for me, is a passion. It's something everyone can do whether they're good at it or not. I know I'm not the best and I have a long long way to go. But if you love something the way I love writing, then all you can do is try.

How Did I Get into Writing?

I guess I talked about this in the last question. It was from the moment I picked up a pencil and started my first story. Some kids were good at maths or sport, I was good at writing.

Although saying that, you don't have to have loved writing from the moment you were born. Writing can be taught and learnt by anyone. Writing is an open book, anyone can give it a go.

I was on and off writing for years. I knew I loved it but life gets in the way a lot of the time. While I still read throughout my teenage and high school years, I barely wrote. It took me until Year 11 to start properly writing again. I'd failed my Year 10 English exam and had to repeat English Language instead of studying English Literature. I was shocked. I knew I could write and I went into that exam thinking that I was going to pass no problems at all.

Little did I know I was completely wrong. Luckily for me a lot of my friends also failed, so we got to repeat together. Year 11 English I picked up my game. Basically, I was always a quiet student. I'd get unbelievably nervous getting up in front of the class and presenting, or even putting my hand up to answer a question. I'd had the same teacher since Year 8 and she always knew me as the quiet student.

As soon as I got into class, I changed. I started answering questions, reading my work out, I put 100% into everything I did. I started getting A's on my work and soon enough I was top of the class. I would write before and after school, and lessons inbetween. I came out with a final grade of A and I was over the moon.

I guess you could say that's how I got into writing the second time. Since then I haven't stopped writing. When I moved to Australia right after my exams I fell into depression. It caught me like a hawk catching a fish. It saw a moment of weakness and BOOM goodbye happy Meliss. Throughout my battle with depression the only thing that gave me hope was writing. During this dark time I saw light and out came the idea for my future novel.

A number of factors got me into writing and I'm so glad they all did.

How Can You Start Writing?

In my case writing comes naturallly but I know some of you aren't so lucky. Learning how to write can take time but what you really need is passion. If you're here to write because you think it'll make you money, then think again. It's said that 1 in 10 authors make it full time. Now that's just a statistic, but like any art writing is hard to get into. You've got to offer something that other authors don't.

If you're looking at getting into Fiction writing then you'll need to have a completely original idea. JK Rowling set the scene for witches and wizards, since her success I've seen so many authors have tried to follow in her footsteps. The reason she was so successful, is because of the amazing story which suited both children and adult readers, but also her writing style. Joanne is unique, we all are. She wrote something that took people away from their own worlds, and that's definitely something a lot of writers set out to do.

I don't want to be putting you off writing but this is the harsh reality behind it. You could become as successful as one JK Rowling, or you might not. You shouldn't have success as the only motivation behind why you write. You should have that passion and love for writing. When reading someone's work you can tell whether they're here for money, or whether the words are coming from the heart.

So to get into writing you need to stop thinking about success. Yes some writers do amazingly well but some don't, you don't know which category you're going to fall under. You need to write because YOU want too. In my experience I love writing and telling stories so it makes it easy for me to put words onto the page. If you struggle with what to write about, just close your eyes and imagine. Imagine the world you want to be in, what it looks like, smells like, what's living there.. then start writing. I'm only speaking from personal experience and this is what helps me. I have a very active imagination so this is my little technique that I use. It helps me to calm down and simply imagine. Try it, it could help you too.

You can learn how to write by doing writing courses. Some are free and online, while others you can go to uni for and get that one on one time with a teacher. It depends how you learn best. I know for me, I can't do online as I get distracted, so sitting in a classroom would be more suitable. Youtube has loads of writing tutorials and of course, they're free. You can get into writing easily, you've just got to find that passion for it, that's the most important part. You can't learn passion.

What's Writing Style?

Everyone has their own unique writing style. It's the way you use grammar and the how you word things. Some people might use a comma here, while others might not. You're an individual so your writing style is completely yours. Writers can use very complex and confusing words, you might want to just keep it simple. It's your style so it's completely up to you.

While you've been reading this you might have found it difficult. It may be because I'm not using enough commas, or too I'm using too many. I'm simply not writing in the way you like to read. Therefore you might prefer a different blogger who writes the way you like. But this is my writing style and the way I write everything. If you read my previous posts then you'd see that all of them read the same way. My writing style doesn't change, it generally stays the same. I might be talking about something important or something irrelavent but it'll always come across the same way.

Depending on my mood my style might change a little bit. If I'm angry you might notice less care going into what I'm writing and therefore it's harder to read, when I'm happy you could notice that I edit and take my time. But at the end of the day my style is my own unqiue way of writing. All of you reading this will also have your own style, you might not have even realised it.

It's hard for me to explain writing style, but I hope you get what I mean. You're not going to write exactly like the person next to you because you're both unique.

Where I Want Writing to Take Me

I talked about not letting success lead my writing journey. I've thought about what success would be like, and yes it would be amazing. It could bring me a lot of joy and happiness but that's not why I write. I didn't start writing because I wanted to be like a famous writer. I want to be my own writer and whether that leads me to success or not, it's ok.

All I want from writing is for it to bring myself happiness, which is does. My dream is to simply have my name on the spine of a novel, sitting on my bookshelf. If it's on other peoples bookshelves then that'd be good too. But writing a novel is the ultimate goal for me. That's where I want my writing to take me.

That would be enough success for me.

Writing Tips

I can't say that I've got a whole lot of writing tips, but here's a few that might help:

• It's important to be yourself and let the words come from your heart.

• Watch tutorials if you're unsure how to write, they'll help you a lot.

• Don't force it. If you're meant to write, you'll write.

• I'm terrible with grammar but it's very important. Triple check your work, but at the end of the day there's editors for a reason (Partly joking, but not really.)

• Start blogging before writing your novel. Of course you don't have too but I find it helps me a lot. I try and blog everyday and each day I notice my writing getting a little bit better. Steemit is a great way to start, because it's a growing platform, plus you get paid (Not a lot but every little bit counts, right?)

• Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it. You can do it, you just have to believe in yourself. Show all the non-believers how good you really are.

• Be different to other writers. Don't rewrite a story that's already been told a million times.

Upcoming Competitions

The Brighton Prize

• Write a short story between 1000-2000 words OR flash fiction up to 350 words.
• Closing Date: 1st July
• More Details here: http://www.brightonprize.com/

Doris Gooderson Short Story Competition

• Short Stories up to 1200 words (Open theme)
• Closing Date: 12th July
• More Details here: https://wrekinwriters.wordpress.com/

The Staunch Book Prize

• Novels (Published, self published or not published.) Thriller genre BUT no woman is to be beaten, stalked, or raped.
• Closing Date: 15th July
• More Details here: http://staunchbookprize.com/

HG Wells Short Story Competition

• Short Stories between 1500 - 5000 words (Theme of peace.)
• Closing Date: 23rd July
• More Details here: https://hgwellscompetition.com/

DWL Short Story Contest

• Stories up to 5000 words (Open Theme)
• Closing Date: 30th July TBC
• More Details here: http://desiwriterslounge.net/contests/

HISSAC Annual Open Short Story Competition

• Short Stories up to 2500 words or Flash Fiction up to 500 words
• Closing Date: 31st July
• More Details here: http://www.hissac.co.uk/CompetitionDetails

Ink Tears Flash Fiction

• Flash Fiction up to 500 words
• Closing Date: 31st July
• More Details here: http://www.inktears.com/contests-i/

To Hull and Back Humorous Writing Competition

• Funny Stories up to 4000 words
• Closing Date: 1st April
• More Details here: https://www.christopherfielden.com/

I think there's a competition suitable for everyone.

I hope you enjoyed reading.

Until next time,

Meliss

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